


Through Thick and Thin

by Bethie0608



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23541445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bethie0608/pseuds/Bethie0608
Summary: Brian's best friend, Leanna, get involved in things she probably shouldn't be but keeps her friends and herself safe.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Original Character(s), Kim Wonpil/Yoon Dowoon, Park Jaehyung | Jae/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	Through Thick and Thin

Leanna's POV

Leanna sits in her music theory class, waiting for her best friend who still hadn't shown up. She's flipping through her notebook when someone plops down beside her, dropping a notebook on the desk.

"Took you long enough." She turns to her best friend, who looks dead on his feet.

"Lemme guess you worked all day on the only day you don't have classes then came home did a bunch of homework then proceeded to playing video games until you passed out at 6 am." she raises an eyebrow at him as he grins tiredly at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Le." Brian replies as he lays his head down on the desk. "Don't lie to me, Bri. Just take a nap and I'll take notes." she grumbles and he giggles causing her to roll her eyes. "Thanks, babe. You're the best." he mumbles already halfway to dreamland. "You are the reason why I can never get a boyfriend, Brian." she sighs as she thinks about how much she does for the dork sleeping beside her.

They had been friends since they were in diapers and had been inseparable since. They went through all the awkward phases of middle school and high school together, tried to do the dating each other thing but realized the first time they kissed that they were definitely better as friends. They were now in their last year of university, majoring in music, living together in an apartment off campus.

They had made friends along the way too, there was Mark, who they had met their junior year of high school and with him came Jackson. Her and Brian had teased Jackson mercilessly when he would hit on her and she'd turn him down but then the summer after their senior year Mark had told her that he and Jackson were together. She'd hugged Mark and told Jackson that she'd called it to which Jackson replied with the middle finger before kissing Mark's cheek.

Then their first year of college they had met Sungjin, their resident rich kid, whose father owned an entertainment company, and Dowoon, who all of them referred to as their little drummer boy. When Brian and Dowoon had taken a job at Sungjin's company, she had taken a job at a coffee shop a few blocks away from their apartment where she met Wonpil, who fit so naturally in with the others that it was like he had been there the whole time. She smiles as she thinks of her friends before paying attention to the professor, diligently taking notes like she'd told Brian she would. She would be lying if she said that being the only girl in the friend group was easy but she loved all of her boys to death.

She hides Brian's video games when she gets home that night and makes him sleep instead. A few weeks go by and she's cooking dinner on their one day without classes when Brian comes bouncing into the kitchen, having already shed his blazer and shoes at the door. She turns to say hello and he grabs her by the waist, spins her around and sits her on the counter before finishing dinner. "Excuse me rude ass. Who the hell gave you the giggle juice?" she asks, placing her hands on the counter on either side of her thighs. "Well I have something I want to talk to you about and you can't say no." he throws her a grin over his shoulder as she raises an eyebrow.

"Tell me what it is, Bri. I'm sure I can say no." she replies with a teasing smirk as he plates the stir fry she had made for dinner. "So Jae has an idea for a project." he starts as she slips off the counter and opens the fridge, pulling out two beers. "That's great. Who the hell is Jae?'' She sets the beers on the table as he stares at her incredulously. "My boss? Sungjin's older brother?" he replies and realization dawns on her. "Oh right. The infamous boss who hates suits. Sorry I barely pay attention when you and Jinnie talk anymore." she giggles at his offended expression before gesturing for him to continue as she sits down at the table. "Anyway, Jae has an idea for a project and we have almost everything we need for it but we need a keyboardist and a female vocalist." he finishes by giving her his best puppy eyes to which she responds by rolling her own.

"No." she replies before shoving veggies in her mouth. "Please, Le. Please." Brian pouts at her and she shakes her head continuing to chew. "Please, baby girl. I'll do all the laundry for three months and cook dinner." she shakes her head again and he continues to pout. "Please, please, please." she swallows her food and finally gives in knowing he's about to get down on his knees to beg at her feet. "Fine, I'll do it but only if Wonpil says he will too." she grins at him before taking another bite of her stir fry. "Great." he says, giving her a big smile which she finds suspicious. "Wonpil already said he'd do it." he finishes as she swallows her food. "Fuck." she replies and he laughs almost hysterically. "I've known you for how long, Le? Did you really think that I would ask without having everything already in the works?" she just flips him off and finishes her dinner.

That is how she finds herself walking into Park Entertainment sandwiched between an overly excited Wonpil and Brian. "Wow. I never thought I'd get to see the inside of this building." Wonpil murmurs to Leanna, who raises her eyebrow at him. "I guess it was a good thing I became friends with you." he finishes causing them to laugh as they walk into the practice room. "What's so funny?" Sungjin's voice causes Leanna to look up just before launching herself at the guitarist. "Sungjinnie! I missed you! It's been so long!" she exclaims, wrapping her arms and legs around Sungjin, who laughs and wraps his arms around her waist. "We had class together literally two days ago, Le." he replies, still laughing. "Shhhh. It's been so long." she rubs her hand from the top of his head, down his cheek to his chin. "Get off me, weirdo." Sungjin sets her on her feet as she hears grumbling from her right. "I see how it is. Sungjin gets all the love." Dowoon mumbles just loud enough to be heard.

"Awww Dowoonie." she says before launching herself at the drummer, who isn't completely expecting it and stumbles slightly at the added weight. "How is my little drummer boy?" she asks, petting Dowoon's hair. "I'm fine. Get off." he mumbles, his ears turning red as she drops to her feet again and turns to find a man she doesn't know watching the scene with his arms crossed and look of amusement. She freezes for a split second because this man is beautiful with his honey colored hair, full lips and gold rimmed glasses. "You must be Leanna." he states in a voice like velvet.

"Let's see. Flannel, ripped jeans, glasses. You must be Jae. Brianna talks about you a lot." she watches as his amused expression turns to one of confusion. "Brianna?" he asks and all the boys point to Brian as the mentioned man raised his hand. "Sorry. I've known Brian since we all thought he was a girl." she apologizes causing Dowoon and Sungjin to snort and Brian to go 'hey' in an offended tone. She walks over to Brian and cups his cheeks before saying. "Aww Bri you know I love you no matter what gender you decide to be." she pinches his cheeks before continuing. "But if you leave your underwear on the bathroom floor again, I'll kill you. I almost died this morning." she lets go as he whines and Jae bursts out laughing. "Anyway, Bri said you wanted us for a project?" Leanna prompts Jae as she shoves her hands into the pockets of her leather vest. "Yes. I know that these guys can play. I got the idea when I caught Dowoon in one of the practice rooms going at it with the drums." Jae starts and Leanna spins around to face Dowoon.

"What did I tell you about doing weird stuff with the drums, Dowoonie?" she asks and watches his whole face turn red before he starts stuttering. "No, that's not-" he gets out before giving up and throwing a drumstick at her which she catches then points at him "No." she says sternly before turning back around to face Jae and shoving the drumstick in her back pocket. She finds Jae laughing again but doesn't notice the weirded out look on Sungjin's face.

"Anyway I don't know about the two of you." he gestures to her and Wonpil causing her to glance at Wonpil and share a sly smirk with him. "Is there a keyboard in here?" she asks, turning back to face the CEO, who nods and gestures behind her. "May I?" Wonpil asks politely and Jae gestures again. As Wonpil rushes to set up the keyboard, Leanna watches Brian rush to his spot across the room and pick up his bass. "Pick a song." she says, looking Jae directly in the eye. "Uhhh..." he says, mind obviously going blank at being put on the spot. "You're taking too long." she says, taking Jae by surprise as she turns to the boys and says. "Rock Show by Halestorm." she grins as the music starts and she closes her eyes to sing.

Once the music ends, she looks back at Jae with the biggest grin on her face. "You got a song yet?" she asks, causing him to look to Sungjin. "Jinnie, what was the song that you were working on the other night?" Leanna turns to Sungjin, who looks confused for a second. "Well Done Again My Friend?" he asks and Jae nods vigorously, his hair flopping around. "How did you even know about that?" Sungjin asks and Jae chuckles. "Well if you don't want me to know what weird things you're doing in your room then maybe you should close the door." Leanna laughs at Sungjin's bright red face before turning to Brian. "I wonder when he walked past Jin's room because weren't we on the phone with him to work on that?" Brian nods and she turns to Wonpil.

"Pil, is there a chair over there?" he looks around and nods before bringing her the chair. "Thanks, love. Who's guitar is that?" She points to the guitar behind Brian and Jae points to himself. "May I?" she asks and he nods, this time she doesn't miss the look on Sungjin's face as she pulls a pick out of her inside pocket, shoving it between her teeth while on her way to grab the guitar. She plops down in the chair and sets the guitar on her knees before turning to nod at Dowoon. She grins at the look of shock that plants itself on Jae's face when Dowoon starts singing the opening verse. She watches his eyes flit to every member of her little band when they sing their parts of the song with Wonpil finishing it.

"You can sing?" Jae directs the question to Dowoon, who grins sheepishly and points to Leanna. "Only with her." Leanna giggles at the giant smile on Brian's face, both extremely proud of their little drummer. "It's been so long since I sang. Jeez. We need to do this more often." Wonpil says to Leanna, who nods enthusiastically as Jae turns to look at them in shock. "I only sing-" Brian starts but is cut off by Leanna. "Don't even lie, Kang. You sing all the time, in the shower, while cooking, while you're taking a shit. You sing the weirdest things in the bathroom." She takes pride in the shade of red her best friend's face takes on. "Le, no one needed to know that." he whines as Sungjin doubles over in laughter. "He's right, Le. Absolutely no one needed to know that. Especially me. I'm innocent." Dowoon whines shortly after Brian shuts up.

"Anyway, did we give you enough of a show to convince you of our skills or do we need to sing more?" Leanna asks Jae as she replaces his guitar on it's stand. "No, that was plenty. You guys play so well together." he glances around at everyone before Leanna starts laughing. "Did Jinnie not tell you that this isn't the first time we've played together?" she asks glancing from Jae, who is shaking his head, to Sungjin, who is rolling his eyes. "I have told him, Le, but like you he doesn't listen to me." Sungjin replies causing Jae to chuckle as Dowoon mumbles. "I didn't like how you phrased that, Le. You made us sound like little kids." she turns to him with a wicked grin. "I could have said that this isn't the first time we've played with each other, Do. Which do you prefer?" she wiggles her eyebrows at him as him, Sungjin and Brian choke on air. "Jeez you guys really are children." she mumbles, turning back to Jae.

"What is this project anyway?" she crosses her arms over her chest to indicate that she is all ears. "So every year or so a couple of the entertainment companies get together and have a battle of the bands type of thing. Some of them put their current artists out or maybe their artists about to debut but sometimes they pull something new out of the blue, which is what I want to do with this." Jae finishes with a grin and Leanna's eyes widen just a fraction.

"Even though we advised against it." Brian mumbles and Jae turns to him with a slight glare. "Shut up, Brian. This is the first one I've been involved in." he sighs a little and Leanna has to almost physically restrain herself from laughing. She glances around at the boys behind her with a raised eyebrow, once she receives a nod from each of them she turns back to Jae with a grin. "We're in."

Over the next month, not only does she juggle school and work but also the project for Jae. She still barely sees Brian, Dowoon and Sungjin except for classes, practice or at lunch. Sometimes they would come into the coffee shop to study a little or get coffee when they looked like they needed it. She starts to notice little things about the boys as well, cuts or bruising on their faces, Brian came home one night with a bandage around his arm and when she asked what happened, he told her that he caught some jagged part of the wall.

She brushed it off, figuring he'd tell her what really happened when he wanted to. It wasn't until halfway through the second month of the project that Leanna found out what was really going on. They had finished practice and she had stayed to clean up after her idiots and also maybe just maybe to hang out with Jae, who she had developed a slight crush on. As they walk out of the building, Jae's phone rings and he steps away to answer it, telling her to wait a second. When he comes back, he's in a rush, apologizing profusely about offering her a ride then having to bail but something really important came up and he really had to go.

She told him not to worry about it and that she would take a taxi home. She never made it home that night. Almost as soon as Jae's car is out of sight a black van pulls up in front of her and a rag is placed over her mouth and nose. She wakes up who knows how long later in an unfamiliar room, tied to a chair. "What the actual fuck? This is not my apartment. Where the fuck am I?" she mumbles, slightly freaking out when the door in the room opens and a man walks in. "Do you know why you're here?" the man asks and she gives him a deadpan look.

"If I knew why I was here then I wouldn't be freaking out now would I? Why don't you enlighten me?" she replies snidely and the man looks taken aback for a second before he puts up a calm facade. "We know you work for them." he says and her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "The coffee shop?" she asks and the man looks surprised for a second. "No. For Jaehyung Park." he replies and that just confuses Leanna more. "Jae? I'm doing a project with him and he's my friend's brother but I don't really know him that well. Why would I be working for him?" she asks as the door opens again and a second man walks in.

"Oh she's awake? Why didn't you say anything?" he asks the first man, who glances at his accomplice before looking back to Leanna. "I'm debating whether to knock her out again because she won't stop talking or to torture her for information." he replies, not expecting the reply he receives from the girl in front of him. "Oh oh! Torture me. That one sounds more fun."

Brian's POV

Leanna has been gone for a week now and Brian is starting to panic. He wasn't necessarily surprised that Leanna wasn't home when he had come home late after meeting with Jae that night but she hadn't been home in a week and he was worried. He had called her mom to find out if she had heard from Leanna to which she had told him that she hadn't and that Leanna had probably run off with a boyfriend again. Brian knew it had happened before but this time felt different, which is how he ended up pacing the length of Jae's office.

"I don't know, Jae. I don't even know who the last person to see her that night was." Brian says, continuing his pacing as Jae realizes that it was him that had seen Leanna last that night. "It was me that last saw her that night, Bri." Jae says quietly causing Brian to freeze before turning to his boss. " What do you mean?" Brian asks, on the verge of tears. "She stayed late after practice and I offered to take her home but then Jarred called and you know all about that fucking fiasco. She assured me that she'd be fine and that she'd call a taxi." Jae explains and watches a tear roll down Brian's face.

"Let's go see if Dowoon can access the CCTV footage from that night then see if she's contacted Wonpil." Jae suggests, standing from behind his desk as Brian wipes his tears and nods. "You seem to care about her a lot." Jae remarks as they walk down the halls of the building. "Well yeah. She's my best friend and my roommate." Brian replies quietly, worrying greatly for his missing best friend. "She's just your friend? I thought the two of you were together." Jae says in surprise which causes Brian to chuckle. "Nah, we tried once in high school but the one and only time we kissed, we both gagged. It was like kissing my sister."

Brian smiles at the memories from high school as Jae remains silent, thinking over this new piece of information. When they walk into the tech room, they find Sungjin inside with Dowoon having lunch. "Hey, boss, Brian. What's up?" Dowoon says when he notices the two enter the room. "Do, can you find the video footage from last Wednesday for the front of the building?" Jae asks causing Dowoon and Sungjin to give him a confused look.

"I mean sure but why?" Dowoon asks, already working on the request from his boss. "Leanna has been missing for a week now and she was last seen in front of the building that night by me." Jae replies causing Dowoon and Sungjin's heads to snap up in concern. "It's gonna take me a bit but I'll call you when I have it." Dowoon says in a serious tone as Jae and Brian nod. "Thanks, Do. We're gonna go see if Pil has heard from her." Brian says before turning and following Jae out the door.

Wonpil beckons them to the counter when he sees them walk in. "Where the fuck is Le?" Wonpil asks Brian as soon as he gets close enough. "I take it that you haven't heard from her either." Jae sighs and Wonpil shakes his head. "I haven't but she's lucky I've been covering for her. She would have lost her damn job by now." Wonpil says before noticing the look on Brian's face. "Oh shit. She's missing isn't she?" Brian just nods and Wonpil places a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Bri. She's strong." Brian smiles slightly at his friend's reassurance. "Thanks, Pil. We'll let you know if we find anything." Brian says and Wonpil nods before stepping away to take the next customer in line.

Jae's POV

"Let's go see what Dowoon's found." Jae says leading Brian out of the coffee shop. Not much could be seen from the footage other than that Leanna was chloroformed and stuffed into a van. Jae has Dowoon set up a trace on his phone after he sends Brian home to sleep but it's another four days before anything happens. Jae watches Brian pace his office, a habit that would usually annoy Jae to no end but he knows that Brian is worried about Leanna just as he is, when Jae's phone suddenly rings.

"Jaehyung Park. What can I do for you?" he answers and Brian continues pacing. "We have your girlfriend." the man on the other line says and Jae freezes. "I have a girlfriend?" he replies causing Brian to freeze mid step and turn to him. "Yes, don't play dumb with us. We took her from right in front of your building after watching you leave." the man replies in a snide tone. "Wait is she kind of short, long brown hair and her favorite word is fuck?" Jae asks and Brian raises his eyebrows at him.

"Yes. Stop running weapons in the south side of the city or we'll kill her." the man says somewhat impatiently and Jae chuckles quietly. "You have her and you're still alive. That's good on you." he says and Brian's eyes widen in shock. "She can't do anything, she's tied to a chair. Now stop running weapons in the south side of the city or we'll kill her." the man replies causing Jae to snort loudly. "No. Go ahead and try to kill her. See how well that works." Jae replies and Brian's eyes widen even more. "What?" the man says in confusion and Jae laughs. "Thanks for the warning but I politely decline." Jae says just before hanging up.

"Jae, what the fuck did you just do? Now they're gonna kill her!" Brian exclaims, on the verge of tears as Dowoon walks into the room with Sungjin. "Brian, calm your titties. I had Do set up a trace on my phone after you went home a couple of days ago. He knows where she is." Jae replies but as Brian opens his mouth to say something the door opens and Wonpil walks in. "Let's go get her then." Wonpil says, placing a gun on Jae's desk with a grin. "What the fuck, Wonpil?" Brian says in surprise as the smaller man turns to grin wickedly at him. "Everyone has their secrets, Brian. Just be glad you didn't know me in high school." Brian exchanges a glance with Jae, who shrugs and they head out.

Brian's POV

The warehouse that Dowoon's directions lead them to is small compared to the other ones and Brian is thankful for that. It doesn't take them that long to get inside, thanks to Wonpil who surprisingly knows the warehouse pretty well. There are two guards on the main floor that Sungjin takes out pretty easily before he and Dowoon take the stairs to the upper level. Brian and Wonpil take the basement level where they find another three guards and Wonpil surprises Brian again by taking them out quickly. They bust the door open to find Leanna coherent but bloody.

Leanna's POV

"Hey. You did the dishes right?" she asks when she sees Brian and he chuckles in spite of the situation. "Nope. I left them all for you." he replies with a grin as he looks at his best friend fondly. "You know if I wasn't tied to this damn chair then I would smack the crap out of you, Bri." Leanna remarks which makes Brian's eyes widen in realization. "Oh right." he says as he rushes forward to cut the ropes securing her wrists.

"Wonpil, what are you doing here?" She looks at the man with wide eyes as he grins at her while brandishing the gun. "Saving your ass, Le. This is nothing compared to high school. Let's go." he turns and heads back to the door with Leanna following. "Now I want to know what you did in high school." she tells Wonpil as they make their way up the stairs. "And you!" she spins on Brian who jumps at the sudden attention. "Why didn't you tell me you joined the mafia?" she glares at her best friend standing at the top of the stairs. "Jae asked us not to." It's Dowoon who speaks instead of Brian.

"Well I have half a mind to kick his ass too but for now I want to go home, shower and nap forever." she says making her way to the door of the warehouse. "We can only give two out of the three of those things." Sungjin says with a chuckle and she turns her glare on him as they step out into the sunshine. "You can go home and shower but we can't let you nap yet. Jae wants to see you." Wonpil says from behind her and she groans. "Great. I can kick his ass first then nap." she grumbles causing Sungjin and Dowoon to laugh.

They arrived at her apartment about twenty minutes later after an argument between Dowoon and Brian about who got to sit beside Leanna until she put her foot down that neither one got to sit by her and took the passenger seat beside Sungjin. She takes forty-five minutes in the shower, trying to wash all the blood from her hair as well as trying to relax her sore shoulders.

"Did you use all the hot water in there?" Dowoon asks from her couch when she walks out and she flips him off. "I was trying to get the blood and dirt out of my hair, Do. I haven't been able to shower in close to two weeks." she replies heading to the kitchen in search of food. "Come on, woman. The boss is waiting." Brian says from the hallway coming from his room. "He said he's buying lunch too." Sungjin says from the kitchen doorway before grabbing her arm and pulling her to the door. She groans again as Sungjin shoves her into the car gently and Dowoon laughs. "Haven't I been shoved into a vehicle enough recently?" she grumbles causing Dowoon, Wonpil and Sungjin to laugh and Brian to get misty eyed.

"Don't start, Brian. If I hadn't been chloroformed I wouldn't have been taken and you know it." Leanna catches her best friend's eye and grins at him in the rearview mirror. "I know but you were gone for two weeks and I didn't know what happened, I thought you were dead, Le." his voice becoming thick with unshed tears. She reaches back and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze in reassurance. "You can't get rid of me that easily. Now save your breakdown for when we get home. I don't wanna be crying when I beat up your boss." she grins at him and he gives her a watery laugh.

"You're really gonna beat him up?" Dowoon asks and she grins at him with a nod. "Fuck yeah. He's the reason I got kidnapped in the first place! Plus he told you guys not to tell me something important." she rants as Sungjin pulls up outside the company building. She gets out quickly, immediately storming into the building leaving the boys to rush after her. "Jaehyung Park!" She bursts into his office, making him jump and toss his phone across the room. "Jesus, Le! You scared the shit out of me!" he exclaims, standing up to come around his desk and meet her halfway. Jae isn't sure what he was expecting but it certainly was not Leanna's fist connecting with the side of his jaw.

"You little motherfucker!" she exclaims as she punches him again. "Did you think I wouldn't be involved if you didn't tell me?" She aims a kick at his side which he barely dodges, still in shock over being hit in the first place. "Did you think that having the boys hide it from me would keep me out of it?" the next time she swings it doesn't connect because Dowoon has grabbed her by the waist and is pulling her back. "She really fucking hit him." Sungjin mumbles to Brian and Wonpil and Brian nods as they watch Dowoon hold Leanna back while she continues yelling at their boss.

"Are you calm now?" Dowoon asks when Leanna takes a deep breath and she nods. "Yes, I'm fine now." Dowoon lets her go and she lunges for Jae again only to have him wrap his arms around her, dropping his head to her shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I had them keep it from you. I'm sorry that this happened to you. No more secrets I promise. Now will you stop hitting me?" he mumbles and she pulls her arm back to lightly punch him in the ribs. "Now I'm done." she pulls away from him and heads over to the couch he has in his office. "I'm taking a nap and when I wake up we'll talk. All of us." her eyes land on Wonpil who nods before backing away from the door.

She flops down on her stomach on the couch and falls asleep pretty quickly. Jae keeps glancing over at her while trying to focus on the papers stacked on his desk, until he gives up. He rubs the bruise that bloomed on his jaw as he watches her sleep on his couch, wondering what had happened to her in that basement. She starts to stir and he tears his eyes away from her, making himself look busy. "Where are the boys?" she asks, sitting up and running her hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it. "Practice room." he replies, still looking at the paper on his desk, not really seeing it. "Well let's go then. We need to talk." She stands from the couch, stretching before heading for the door, followed shortly by Jae.

"Hey! You're up." Wonpil says when they walk into the practice room and Dowoon shoots up from his spot behind his drums. "Le!" he wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her neck. "I was so scared." he mumbles as she wraps her arms around him. "I'm fine, Dowoonie. I will always be fine. I promise." she rubs his back as Brian stands and joins the hug, before she knows it, Leanna has all five boys hugging her. "Alright. I can't breathe." she starts wiggling until they let her go.

She ends up being pulled into Brian's lap which causes her to roll her eyes at his clinginess. "What happened while I was gone?" she asks, glancing around at her friend's waiting for someone to answer. "Brian paced my office a lot." Jae finally says and she laughs as Brian whines behind her. "He does that when he's stressed, always has. What else?" she asks, patting Brian's hands in reassurance. "You almost lost your job but I covered for you." Wonpil grins at her when she shrugs. "Fuck it. I hate that job anyways. I only stay for you." She returns Wonpil's grin and he laughs as he nods in agreement. "I called your mom." Brian says quietly and Leanna bursts out laughing, almost falling from Brian's lap. "Lemme guess she told you that I probably ran off with a boyfriend right? That's what my dad thought I was doing when you and I moved in together." She laughs harder at Brian's shocked face as Sungjin and Dowoon look at her confused.

"Wait, you like boys?" Dowoon asks in surprise causing Wonpil, Brian, Jae and Leanna to look at him. "Yes, I like boys. What kind of question is that?" Leanna asks with a raised eyebrow and Dowoon's face turns red. "I mean he's right though, Le. I thought you liked girls." Sungjin says, looking confused when Leanna covers her mouth clearly laughing and Brian snorts rather loudly behind her. "I mean I do like girls, Jinnie. I like both. Why are we talking about this right now?" Leanna asks, glancing between the two boys, who both shrug. "We just always thought you were into girls." Sungjin mumbles as his ears start to turn red and Leanna laughs a little. "I am into girls but I'm also into boys. Like Dowoon." she grins when the youngest's head snaps up to look at her with wide eyes.

"How did you know that?" Dowoon asks, voice edged with panic. "I'm not blind, babe." she winks at him before turning to Sungjin. "Anything else happen while I was away?" she asks and he shrugs before a sly grin takes over his face. "We all got to see Brian cry." Sungjin laughs when Brian flips him off and buries his face in Leanna's back. "What happened to you while you were away?" Jae speaks for the first time in a while. "Hmmm..." she taps her finger against her chin as if in thought. "Got beat up for information I didn't have, found out almost all of my friends are in the mafia and got called your girlfriend more than once. I also missed a bunch of work, class and practice for the battle of the bands." she grins at Jae mischievously as he frowns at her attitude towards her kidnapping.

"Don't give me that look, Park. I'm not some weak little girl. The only reason they got me is because they snuck up on me. I did however find out that it's a weapons dealer who wants to take the south side from you. They also want to attack the battle of the bands." She stares at Jae unwaveringly and he frowns as he takes in the information. "We'll have to put extra security because we won't have Dowoon to man the cameras as he'll be performing. All of you will be." Jae sighs, losing himself in thought for a second trying to figure out a way for them to pull this off without getting anyone hurt. "You could always call Soorin to man the cameras. She's the one who taught me." Dowoon says suddenly and Jae frowns at him.

"You're right. I could but I don't wanna. She annoys me so much. No offense, Do." Jae says and Dowoon nods, waving him off. "None taken. She annoys me too." Leanna is silent taking in the information and the situation they have found themselves in before patting Brian's hands to get him to let go. "Let go, Bri. I have to smack Jae again." Instead of letting go, Brian's arms tighten around her waist as the other boys look at her in surprise. "Why do I need to get hit again?" Jae asks surprise lacing his voice as he stares at the girl in front of him.

"You need to be hit because it doesn't fucking matter how you feel about Dowoon's sister if she can keep someone, anyone from being hurt because of these assholes then you need to call her." Leanna snaps at the man before huffing and leaning back against Brian's chest, still glaring at Jae. "I didn't get kidnapped and not escape so you could be stupid because someone annoys you." Sungjin is staring wide eyed at his friend before his eyes widen further at the sight of his brother hanging his head. "You're right, Le. Dowoon, call your sister." Jae turns to the younger boy as Wonpil chuckles quietly. "I love you, Le. You know that right?" Wonpil asks his friend in amusement causing her to nod before she turns to Brian.

"Do you still have the keys to your dad's gym?" she asks curiously and he nods looking somewhat surprised. "Good. I need to go." she replies quietly and Brian knows the look on her face so he tightens his grip on her before whispering in her ear. "You are good enough, Leanna. They surprised you and because you didn't know anything about the situation beforehand they had the upper hand. It's our fault not yours." she shakes her head at him before pulling back completely to look him in the eyes. "I need to go, Bri. Now if possible." she says sternly, raising her eyebrow at him to question if he'll argue with her. "Fine but at least one of us is going with you." he sighs in defeat while the other boys look at the two of them in confusion. "I have somewhere I have to go. I'm fine with going alone." She stands from Brian's lap and makes her way to the door only to realize that all five boys have followed her.

She rolls her eyes but continues out of the building and onto the street. The walk to the gym isn't a long one but it's completely silent as most of the boys don't know what's going on and Brian is frustrated. When she reaches the door, Leanna turns to Brian with her hand extended and he places the key from his wallet in her hand. She smiles at him before turning back to the door and unlocking it. The six of them wander in and Leanna turns on the lights before wandering over to the punching bag. She sighs as she trails her hand over the faded fabric and it invokes memories of her childhood that make her smile.

Jae's POV

The boys watch her disappear into the changing room and they hear Brian sigh before he does the same.

When the two of them come back out, they're both wearing plain white clothes and smiling at each other. Jae notices that both of their belts are black before watching Leanna throw a high kick at the punching bag that Brian is holding. He watches her alternate between kicks, jabs and punches, knowing that it's more than one martial art. "Are you ready?" Jae hears Leanna ask Brian, who just nods before walking to the center of the room with Leanna following. "What are they doing?" Dowoon asks no one in particular as he watches his two friends bow to each other. "They're sparring." comes Wonpil's answer as Brian goes on the offensive and begins attacking Leanna.

The four boys remain silent as they watch Leanna flip Brian over and over again for almost two hours. The sparring match he's watching seems wrong to Jae but it takes him a while to realize why: Brian never goes on the defensive. "Are you done with your pity party, Leanna?' Jae hears Brian ask suddenly, just realizing that the match has stopped. "It's not a pity party, Brian. I wasn't strong enough which led to me being kidnapped and tortured for information I didn't have." Leanna replies with a fierce look in her eyes which makes Brian sigh heavily. "I already told you that it had nothing to do with that and I'm pretty sure you know it too. So what is this really about, Le?" he stares at her with very much the same look.

It happens quickly, almost too fast for Jae to see, Leanna is standing there glaring at Brian then she's on the floor sobbing suddenly. Brian is at her side in seconds followed closely by Wonpil, Dowoon and Sungjin. Jae sits in shock because of not only witnessing Leanna's breakdown but also how easily his younger brother, who avoids skinship like the plague, hugs the girl along with his friends. "It was so easy for them to get me, Bri. I was powerless." she sobs into her best friend's shirt as he rubs her back soothingly. "I know, babygirl, I know. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Brian replies continuing to rub her back as the other boys hug the two of them tightly. "None of us will let anything happen to you, Le. We all love you." Sungjin says suddenly and Jae is shocked by how true his brother's words are for him as well as the other boys.

Leanna's POV

Soon Leanna's sobs turn into sniffles and Brian pulls back to look down at her softly. "Better now, Le?" he asks when she meets his eyes as she nods her head slightly. "Yeah. Sorry, Bri. I didn't mean to have a breakdown." she replies quietly and Brian chuckles at her as he pulls her into a hug yet again. "And you said I couldn't break down until we got home." Brian teases her to which she starts laughing loudly. "I'm sorry that I deprived you of your breakdown, Bri. I really tried to prevent mine from happening. It's why I wanted to come here in the first place." she mumbles against Brian's shoulder and he nods slowly. "I know, babe." Brian replies seconds before Wonpil whacks the back of her head.

"Leanna Narie Holmes!" he doesn't have to say anything else when she looks up at him and nods. "I know, Pil. I'm sorry, guys.'' She hangs her head and Brian and Dowoon smack her. "What the hell?" she asks Dowoon, who has a stern look on his face that surprises her. "Leanna, why are you apologizing? Breaking down after a traumatic experience is normal and shows that you are human and not some freaky alien. All Pil and Bri were doing was reassuring you that we are here for you. All five of us." Dowoon tells her before pulling her into a hug and resting his cheek on top of her head.

"We all care about you and don't want to see you hurt yourself because of something you had no control over." he continues when no one says anything, all too in shock over the youngest's outburst. "Thank you, Do. I really appreciate it." Leanna says as her stomach growls loud enough for Jae to hear it across the room. "Alright, let's go eat. I promised lunch but it's too late for that now so dinner it is." Jae says loud enough to be heard as he leans against the wall by the door to wait.

The six of them go out to dinner and not much is actually said just idle chatter about the battle of the bands. The next morning finds the six of them sitting in Jae's office awaiting the arrival of Dowoon's sister, Soorin. They hear Flight of the Valkyrie just before the door bursts open to reveal a woman, maybe a year or two older than Leanna, standing there with her arm above her head in a crop top with a flamingo in sunglasses on it and ripped skinny jeans. "Where is the music coming from?" Sungjin asks with a deadpan look on his face to which Soorin pulls her phone out of her back pocket and taps the screen. Leanna chuckles quietly as the music stops but the shit eating grin never leaves Soorin's face as the woman's eyes roam the room.

"Dowoonie!" she exclaims when her eyes land on her younger brother just before she takes a running leap at him. "I missed you, baby bro." she says when he catches her without stumbling. "I missed you too. Get off me." Dowoon replies in an annoyed tone and Soorin climbs off of her brother. "Why with the music, Soorin?" Jae asks tiredly as he watches the woman grin. "I needed a theme song since I was coming to save the day, babe." her grin widens as Jae rolls his eyes. "Don't call me that." he replies, sounding completely done with the woman in front of him. "Oh come on, Jae. You know that the only person in this room that I would date.." she pauses as her gaze settles on Brian before she smirks and turns away.

"Is Sungjin." she grins at the man, who rolls his eyes. "No, just no." Sungjin says pointing his index finger at her causing her to laugh. "Come on, Sungjinnie, I've seen everyone in this room naked at least once. Well except for you two." her gaze finds Leanna and Wonpil, who both raise their eyebrows at the others. "It was a weird day." Sungjin mumbles as Soorin keeps her gaze on Leanna. "Hi there, cutie. I haven't caught your name." Soorin smiles sweetly at Leanna, who returns it. "I'm Leanna and you're not so bad yourself, love." Leanna replies with a wink which causes Soorin to turn to Jae with a wide grin. "Leanna, no." Brian and Dowoon say at the same time after witnessing the two women flirting. "Leanna, yes." she replies grinning at the two boys, who both roll their eyes. "Leanna, no." Jae sighs, sounding almost frustrated. "Leanna, yes. Don't tell me what to do, you're not my real mom." Leanna replies sticking her tongue out at the man behind the desk causing Soorin to laugh loudly.

"I like this one, Jae. Keep her." Soorin says which causes Jae's face to turn a bright red. "For now, tell me why I'm here instead of in the US like I'm supposed to be." Soorin's smile drops and she seats herself in Leanna's lap on the couch. Leanna chuckles at the looks on her friend's faces as she wraps her arms securely around Dowoon's sister's waist. They start to explain the situation to Soorin, who listens intently, nodding every now and then. When Jae has Leanna explain about being kidnapped and what she had overheard, Soorin wraps her arms around Leanna's head, cooing.

"You always have the best stories, Jae. You never cease to amuse me. I'll do it of course." Soorin smiles softly at the CEO, who has moved to lean against his desk. "Thank you, Soo. It means a lot." Jae thanks the woman still in Leanna's lap causing her to nod. "Of course, Jae. Not only does it ensure that I get to see my baby brother perform but it keeps all of you safe." she grins at Dowoon, who rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Speaking of the battle of the bands, I missed two practices in that basement so we need to do that." Leanna stresses, the boys nodding along with what she says.

"What songs is he having you do?" Soorin asks, standing to allow Leanna to get up. "We're doing Bad Boy by Big Bang, Middle of the Night by Monsta X, one that Brian and I wrote and California by The Rose." Leanna replies as she leads the way to the practice room, followed closely by everyone else. "He fucking loves that damn song." Soorin mumbles and Leanna turns to her with a raised eyebrow. "Which one?" she asks quietly so she isn't heard by the boys a few paces behind them. "Bad Boy." Soorin replies causing Leanna to snort loudly. "Figures. He seems like the type but then again he's an idiot so who knows." Soorin laughs at Leanna's comment before glancing back at the boys, who are now watching them interact.

"I meant to ask earlier but I got distracted. Who got the best of you, Jae?" Soorin turns to face the boys now, walking backwards. "Ah. That would be me." Leanna says, opening the door to the practice room and rushing immediately to her guitar while Soorin's incredulous gaze follows her before flicking to Jae. "She bruised you?" Soorin asks Jae, her voice an octave higher in surprise. When Jae nods his head, Soorin rushes over to Leanna, picks her up by her waist and spins her around twice. "You are beautiful and the next you hit Jae, someone has to film it for me." Soorin tells Leanna as she sets her down and Leanna laughs while shaking her head.

Jae's POV

Over the next two weeks, Leanna is swamped with all the homework she missed out on and daily practices for the battle of the bands. Three days before the competition, Jae and Soorin find Leanna slumped over a chair in the practice room with dark circles under her eyes and music theory homework under her head. "She's working too hard for this, Jae." Soorin tells the man beside her, who nods his agreement. "I know but none of us can get her to stop. The homework is one thing but her and the guys have already perfected the songs. She insists on being here even though she doesn't have to be." Jae replies, worried for the girl in front of him.

"Have any of you stopped to think that maybe I just don't want to be alone in that damn apartment all the time?" Leanna's voice startles the two people standing in the doorway as she sits up, cracks her neck and turns to look at them. "Why haven't you said anything then, love? You could've hung out with any of us?" Soorin says, approaching the girl still sitting on the floor in front of the chair. "You all have been working and I don't want to be a nuisance. So I do my homework here until I can't focus on it anymore then I run through the songs again before going back to my homework." Leanna stands from the floor with Soorin's help but keeps her eyes down.

"Leanna?" Jae calls carefully and watches her head turn his way but she never looks him in the eye. "You're not a nuisance and you never will be. Even if you just want to sit in my office to do your homework so you have some company. You are welcome to do that." he tells her and she nods, still not looking him in the eye. "Soorin, can we have a moment please?" Jae asks, eyes never leaving Leanna, who continues to stare at the ground. "Of course." Soorin smiles at him before mouthing 'tell her' to which Jae just shakes his head. "Not the time." he mumbles as Soorin passes by him on her way out the door, which she closes behind her.

"Le, are you sure you're okay?" Jae asks, taking a careful step towards the girl that he can't get out of his head lately. "I'm fine, Jae. Why wouldn't I be?" she asks as she turns to the chair, beginning to gather her homework into a neat pile. "Well how about the fact that you won't look me in the eye? Or that you haven't been sleeping except for the small naps you take here when your body finally gives out?" he asks rhetorically which she answers with a sigh but continues what she's doing.

"Hey." he places a hand on her shoulder, slowly turning her to face him. "Talk to me, Le. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on." Leanna keeps her head down when she speaks. "I can't sleep for longer than a few minutes without having a nightmare. I haven't been able to eat a lot because I'm so sleep deprived." her voice gets thicker as she speaks and she stops when the first sob wracks her body. Jae pulls her into a hug which causes her to grip the back of his shirt and sob into his chest. "Does Brian know?" he feels her shake her head in answer to his question. "He's almost never home nowadays because he's helping Do or Jinnie. I haven't actually seen him in almost a week." she mumbles into his shirt but he hears her anyway.

"Come on." he pulls away from the hug but takes her hand and drags her out of the practice room to his office. "What are we doing?" Leanna asks finally meeting Jae's eye, confusion written all over her face. "You are going to lay on that couch over there and go to sleep while I finish up some of this damn paperwork for the battle of the bands." he smiles at her when her eyes widen. "Jae.." she starts but he cuts her off with a shake of his head. "Go to sleep, Leanna." he says somewhat sternly and she complies, grumbling about bossy men as she goes. Jae chuckles when she finally lays and sits behind his desk to finish the papers he's been putting off.

He's about halfway through the papers when she whimpers the first time, he almost doesn't hear it. She flops over and he glances up to see her face contorted in what can only be described as fear. She whimpers again as he stands from his desk and makes his way to her. "Le, honey, come on." he gently shakes her shoulder but she's still firmly asleep and starting to thrash. "Leanna, it's just a dream. Come on." he shakes her shoulder harder and this time she wakes up with a start, shooting upright. "Fuck." she mumbles and goes to get up but Jae pushes her shoulder back. "What were you dreaming about?" he asks and she looks away to the floor. "It always starts with us up on stage but then they attack and I have to watch all of you die." she mumbles and Jae hugs her for the second time in as many hours.

"That won't happen, Le. I promise." Jae says against her hair and she shakes her head before pulling away. "I know but that doesn't mean that it doesn't terrify me, Jae. I love all of you to pieces and it would literally kill me if you guys got hurt." Leanna sighs before standing up and stretching. "I need some food and Brian." She heads for the door and Jae follows her but she blocks his way. "What do you think you're doing, mister? You need to stay here and finish your damn paperwork."

Jae laughs at her demanding tone before mock saluting her. "Yes, boss." he says as he turns to head back to his desk and she kicks him right in the ass "Ow! What the fuck, Le?" he spins around to stare at her but can't stay mad when she's wearing a grin he hasn't seen in weeks on her face. "I figured I'd kick your ass into motion." she chuckles before leaving his office in search of food and her best friend while Jae just shakes his head. Jae finds Leanna sleeping in his office multiple times over the next couple of days, he doesn't mind because she looks better.

The day of the battle of the bands hits and everyone is excited, they've made sure that there are cameras literally everywhere at the venue and Soorin surprises them all by handing each of them a gun. "I know that at least most of you know how to use it. Just in case anything happens." She smiles at them as they look at her skeptically and she pulls Leanna to the side to show her how to use it. Sungjin bumps Jae's arm with his shoulder to get his attention. "Have you told her yet?" Sungjin asks his brother, who shakes his head causing Sungjin to scoff in disbelief. "I haven't had the time. I'm planning on telling her tonight, Jin. I promise." Jae says not taking his eyes off the two women in front of them. "You know that she'll be more of a target if she feels the same." Brian says bitterly and Jae turns to the younger man with his eyebrow raised. "Because she's not already a target now? She's not a target living with you or spending a majority of her time at the company building?" Jae asks seriously and Brian backs down instantly, knowing his boss is right.

Leanna's POV

"Five minutes." someone calls into the waiting room they are in and Jae calls out a thank you as Soorin and Leanna approach the group of boys. "You ready, boss?" Jae asks Leanna with a grin causing her to roll her eyes and everyone to look at him in shock. "Definitely but Bri seems booty tickled about something." she stares at her best friend as he tries to rearrange his features into something other than a frown. "I'm fine, babygirl. I promise." Brian reassures his best friend, who gives him a playful glare. "You better be, bass boy, cause if you fuck up I'll kill you." she grins when she sees a genuine smile take over Brian's face. "Ooooh daddy promise?" he replies only to be smacked by Dowoon, who almost shouts 'no' which causes the rest to laugh. "Maybe later, BriBri." Leanna replies causing Dowoon to groan and Sungjin to snort.

"Le, please, I'm innocent." Dowoon whines which causes Wonpil to snort loudly. "Are you, Do?" Wonpil asks in a teasing tone while poking Dowoon's neck causing the youngest to flush a bright red. Soorin and Leanna share a look before they high five and Leanna turns to Brian, who is frowning deeply again. "You owe me fifty bucks, bitch." Leanna sticks her hand out to her best friend, who pulls his wallet out and puts the money in her hand. "You bet on us?!" Wonpil asks in shock as Leanna counts the bills Brian had placed in her hand. "Of course we did, Pil." she replies glancing up at him with a grin. "Ready, guys?" Sungjin asks and everyone nods before heading out on stage.

They make it through Starlight, the song Brian and Leanna wrote, California and Middle of the Night without a problem, but halfway through Bad Boy they hear multiple windows shatter. The five on stage freeze for a split second before about twenty men come rushing in and everything happens rather quickly after that. Brian is the first to draw his gun and gets two shots off before getting hit in the shoulder and going down. "Fuck, Bri." Leanna pulls her gun from her waistband and takes out three guys on her way to Brian. "Why are you so stupid?" she asks as she crouches by her best friend and grabs his uninjured arm. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Le." Brian replies, pain lacing his voice as Leanna drags him off the stage.

"Don't move. I'll be back in a bit." Leanna tells her best friend as she heads back to the stage, picking up Brian's gun on the way. "Le? What are you doing? Get out of here." Sungjin tells her as she re-emerges from back stage. "Fuck off, Sungjin." she replies as she takes out the guy trying to sneak up on Sungjin from the left. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself." she continues with a smirk as he stares at her in shock. It seems like their ambush was unexpected and the ones that weren't dead or injured fled when they realized they were losing.

"What are we gonna do with the bodies?" Leanna asks as she walks through the now empty auditorium kicking random body parts out of her way. "We'll dispose of them." Sungjin says as the others stare at her in shock. "What?" she asks upon looking up to find everyone's eyes on her. "Are you okay, Le? You don't seem too torn up about just shooting multiple people." Soorin says when the boys can't seem to find the words. Leanna chuckles as she looks at the dumbfounded expressions of her friends. "These people kidnapped me, tortured me and were most certainly going to kill me if the guys hadn't come for me. This one right here..." she kicks a man's head to turn his face toward the others before continuing. "Is the one who hit me the first time." she finishes and looks from the man's face to the shocked looks on her friend's faces.

"They had every intention of killing at least one of us when they showed up here tonight so pardon me if I feel nothing about ending their lives." Leanna walks back stage to check on Brian. "How is he?" she asks the doctor Jae had called when it was over. "It was a clean shot. The bullet exited through his back so all I had to do was stitch him up and bandage it." comes the reply and Leanna nods as she gazes at her best friend, who is staring at her intently. "How are you doing?" Brian asks when she approaches where he's sitting with his arm in a sling. "I'm fine. Why is everyone so worried about how I'm doing?" she grumbles the last part causing Brian to scoff. "Maybe because you killed like six people tonight and you weren't a part of any of this to begin with." She turns to look at him while he's talking and raises her eyebrow. "Are you finished?" she asks when he stops talking and he nods.

"Great my turn. You're an idiot if you think that I haven't been involved in this since the damn day I was kidnapped, Brian. Whether it's been officially stated or not I'm just as much a part of this as you are now and like I told the others not even five minutes ago. Those men came here with the intent to kill us so I have no remorse for the lives I took." he stares at her for a long minute before his features soften and he sighs deeply. "You're right." she rolls her eyes at him before grinning widely. "When am I not." There's a laugh from behind her and she turns to see Soorin walking toward them. "You were definitely wrong, handsome. She's totally cut out for this line of work." Soorin tells Brian and Leanna looks at her best friend in time to see red spread across his face. "I know. I just didn't want her to be." Brian replies to Soorin, avoiding Leanna's judging look until she leans in to whisper in his ear.

"If you don't tell her then I will." Leanna pulls away as Brian starts stuttering and turning even more red. "I will when you do." he finally replies and she grins widely at him again. "Deal. Hey, Soo, have you seen Jae?'' She turns from her best friend to the woman she knows holds Brian's heart. "Last time I saw him he was stepping outside." Soorin replies with a confused look on her face and Brian mutters 'fuck' beside Leanna as she stands. "Thanks, Soo. I'll be back in a bit." she makes her way back on stage only to jump right off and head out the door.

She finds Jae leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and she stops for a second to admire his side profile. "Glad it's finally over?" she asks after a minute causing Jae to jump violently and almost fall over. "Jesus woman! Why do you make it a habit to scared the shit out of me?" Jae asks with his hand over his heart. "I find it's the best way to get someone's heart rate up." she replies sarcastically and Jae chuckles while shaking his head. "Well, you've succeeded in doing that. What's up, Le?" Jae asks watching her glance around the street before her eyes land back on his. "Well I made a deal with Brian to get him to confess to Soorin." she starts and Jae raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "What was the deal?" he asks as she takes a step toward him with a grin. Instead of answering him, she grabs his face and pulls him in for a kiss. Jae is shocked to say the least but kisses her back eventually.

"The deal was that I would confess to you if he confessed to her." she says when she breaks the kiss, resting her forehead against his for a second before pulling away completely. She starts to fidget when all Jae does is stare at her for what feels like forever. "Sorry." she mumbles as she starts to turn back to the door but he grabs her wrist. He turns her back around and pulls her in for another kiss much to her surprise. "How did you beat me to it, Le?" he whispers against her lips before kissing her again. She pulls back after a minute to breathe and he grins at her. "What do you mean?" she asks after catching her breath and Jae rubs the back of his neck. "Soorin and Sungjin have been trying to get me to confess for a while now but I couldn't ever find the right time. Plus Brian was against it because he didn't want you to become more of a target if you felt the same way which now confuses me because I have a feeling that he knew how you felt the whole time." he glances at her for confirmation which she gives in the form of a nod and he sighs.

"That's what the two of you were arguing about before we went on stage earlier wasn't it?" she asks sounding a little frustrated as he nods and she turns to the door. "Where are you going?" Jae asks as she heads back inside the auditorium and he follows her. "I would like to have words with my oh so lovely best friend." she replies quickly as she vaults herself up onto the stage, followed closely by Jae. "Brian Kang!" she calls out when she gets back stage and Brian's head shoots up from where he was talking to Soorin. "What's up, Le?" he asks starting to smile until he saw the look on her face. "You are an idiot." she says, smacking the back of his head when she gets to his side. "Ow! Why am I an idiot now?" he asks, rubbing the spot she'd smacked him with his uninjured arm. "You didn't want me to become more of a target?' she asks and realization dawns across his face as the other boys gather to watch.

"As if living with you and spending as much time at the company doesn't make me a target already or did you forget that I was kidnapped just because I was at the company?" she raises her eyebrow at her fidgeting best friend. "I'm sorry, Le. I just wanted to protect you." he says in a quiet tone and she huffs as he continues. "I almost lost you, Leanna. I didn't want to go through that again." he finishes with his head hanging low and she sighs heavily before dropping to her knees to look him in the eyes. "Hey. I'm still here and always will be. Did you forget our promise? Through thick and thin, ride or die, Bri. Nothing and no one will ever change that right?" she grips her best friend's hand as he nods his head and looks up into her eyes. "I think that applies to everyone in this room now, don't you, Le?" he asks and they both look up at the other boys.

"I think you're right, BriBri." she says as she takes in the sight of Sungjin, with his arms crossed over his chest and a soft smile, of Dowoon with his arm around Wonpil's waist, pulling him tightly to his side, of Soorin beside Brian with her hand on his knee both as a show of affection and comfort, and finally of Jae standing off to the side also with his arms crossed, watching the scene before him unfold just like he was the first time Leanna had met him. She extends her free hand to him and he takes it without hesitation, helping her stand before wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her into his side.

"I agree." Sungjin says after a few minutes of silence as he glances from his brother to his friends. "I know this is out of nowhere, well kind of, but Sungjin you owe me fifty bucks, bro." Dowoon says with a mischievous grin on his face that widens when Jae's jaw drops in shock. "You bet on us?" he asks in disbelief as Sungjin hands Dowoon the money. "Why are you surprised that we bet on you but not that Le and Bri bet on us?" Wonpil asks with a chuckle and Jae turns to him, eyes still wide. "Well because I knew about it and also the fact that my own brother bet on my love life." Leanna buries her face in Jae's chest to hide her laughter as Sungjin snorts. "It's not the first time, Jae." Sungjin tells his brother, who makes a noise of disbelief in the back of his throat.

"Oh my god. I'm gonna die I swear." Leanna says, still laughing at her boyfriend, who turns to her in concern. "Why? Are you hurt?" he starts to pull away and she just laughs harder as she pulls him back. "Nope. Just hungry all of a sudden." she replies with a big grin still on her face. "Well where do you wanna eat then, boss?" Jae asks with a grin as Sungjin rolls his eyes and mumbles 'yay she's the boss now.' Leanna turns to him with a raised eyebrow and Sungjin puts his hands up in surrender causing everyone to laugh.


End file.
